Top luxury palace stays around the world

If you’ve ever daydreamed about living the palace life — minus the political intrigue and uncomfortable crowns — this list is for you. These aren’t just hotels; they’re places where history brushes up against modern comfort, and you suddenly find yourself wondering why your real home doesn’t have marble corridors or a private terrace overlooking a famous canal. From Jaipur’s royal charm to Venice’s effortless glamour to a Spanish town where a duke once tried to impress a king, each stay offers its own flavour of fantasy.

Yes, the price tags are a little bold — but the experiences? Completely worth the indulgence.

If Rambagh Palace could talk, it wouldn’t whisper “Bow down” so much as politely clear its throat and remind you that you’ve just stepped into 1835-era royalty. Originally built for a queen’s favourite handmaiden (a promotion for the ages), this 47-acre beauty has been everything from a guesthouse to a hunting lodge before becoming the Maharaja of Jaipur’s full-time home in 1925. Today, it’s a hotel so lavish you may briefly wonder if you’ve accidentally inherited a title.

Inside, the place is a feast for the senses — marble latticework you’ll want to photograph from every angle, sandstone balustrades that look straight out of a period film, and Mughal gardens that could make even your phone’s camera roll feel overwhelmed. Rooms start around Rs75,000 and the suites tip over Rs100,000, but the memories (and bragging rights) will last far longer than the dent in your savings.

Dining here feels like an event: Suvarna Mahal dishes out royal Indian cuisine in a ballroom so grand you’ll instinctively sit up straighter. The Polo Bar, Rajput Room, and the breezy Verandah Café keep things equally delightful. And for something wonderfully unexpected, Steam — the lounge inside a restored train — serves drinks with a playful twist.

Throw in a heritage walk, soothing spa rituals, and a concierge who genuinely wants to make your Jaipur dreams happen, and you’ve got a stay that feels royally indulgent without taking itself too seriously.

Staying at The Gritti Palace is like crashing at the home of an impossibly glamorous Venetian relative — one who collects antiques, knows everyone worth knowing, and casually lives on the Grand Canal. Dating back to 1475, the palazzo has been everything from a noble residence to the Doge Andrea Gritti’s private home, and it still carries that quiet, confident grandeur that only centuries of history can produce.

The views alone are enough to make you emotional: Santa Maria della Salute, Punta della Dogana, the Guggenheim — all shimmering just outside the window like a very elaborate screensaver. Inside, designer Chuck Chewning helped revive the palace’s original soul, bringing back forgotten artwork, carved details, and even 18th-century wooden lamps that look far too delicate to have survived this long.

Despite the opulence, the place feels surprisingly warm, almost like a lived-in museum where you’re allowed to touch things (politely). Between the Riva yacht experiences, the Sisley spa, and the terrace where time melts into spritzes, it’s easy to understand why the world’s cultural crowd gathers here. And if you’re visiting during Carnival or the Film Festival? Don’t be surprised if you recognise someone famous in the lobby — it’s that kind of hotel.

If grand gestures had an architectural form, Parador de Lerma would be it. Sitting proudly at the highest point of town, this stately palace was built in the early 1600s by the Duke of Lerma for one simple reason: he wanted his friend King Felipe III to have a really lovely place to unwind.

Rising from the site of a former 15th-century castle, the building still dominates Lerma’s main square with a kind of quiet confidence. The central courtyard, wrapped in graceful Tuscan and Ionic columned galleries, practically invites you to wander slowly, pretend you’re in a period drama, and maybe rehearse a royal wave or two. Inside, the interiors nod to their Habsburg roots with warm lighting and classic décor that feels elegant without being stuffy.

These days, the palace lives on as one of the Paradores chain’s standout hotels, offering 133 guest rooms along with all the modern comforts you actually need — internet included, in case you want to Instagram your inner aristocrat. It’s a wonderful base for exploring northern Spain, or a dreamy halfway point between Madrid and the north if you’re road-tripping.

Charming, atmospheric, and wonderfully unpretentious, Parador de Lerma is the kind of historic stay that makes you feel part of its story — even if just for a night.